On this page you can find places of interest in Penmaenpool Wales. If its not what you are looking for please click below to find more interesting places in Wales
Mawddach Valley Penmaenpool Gwynedd Wales
Penmaenpool Bridge spans the Mawddach Estuary in
Gwynedd, North West Wales. The picturesque bridge connects the A496 on
the north of the valley to the A493 at Penmaenpool on the south of the
valley. A famous landmark the rickety wooden toll bridge was built in
1879 by the Penmaenpool Bridge Company to replace the ferry. For many
years the Dolgellau to Barmouth railway stopped at the station adjacent
to the bridge and although the station is no longer in use (indeed the
rail track bed now forms the route of the Mawddach Trail), the signal
box has been retained to make an attractive feature. The signal box is
now leased to the RSPB as an information centre. <br><br> On 22 July,
1966 a terrible tragedy took place at the toll bridge when a small
ferryboat from Barmouth crashed into the bridge when attempting to tie
up alongside the George III Hotel. Fifteen people lost their lives in
the tragedy. <br><br> Thirty-nine people boarded the Prince of Wales
ferry boat on Barmouth quay for the eight-mile trip up the Mawddach but
the boat crashed into the wooden toll bridge and all the passengers
were thrown into the river. Locals, including the proprietor of the
hotel John Hall and chef David Osmond Jones, rescued twenty-four people
from the incoming tide but fifteen people died - including four
children. <br><br>A remembrance service was held at Penmaenpool in 2006 to mark the 40th anniversary of the disaster.
More Information >>